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Ahmad ibn `Abd al-Halim ibn `Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Qasim ibn Taymiyya, Taqi al-Din Abu al-`Abbas ibn Shihab al-Din ibn Majd al-Din al-Harrani al-Dimashqi al-Hanbali (661-728). The most influential scholar of the late Hanbali school, praised by the hadith master Salah al-Din al-`Ala'i as:
"Our shaykh, master, and imam between us and Allah Almighty, the master of verification, the wayfarer of the best path, the owner of the multifarious merits and overpowering proofs which all hosts agree are impossible to enumerate, the Shaykh, the Imam and faithful servant of his Lord, the doctor in the Religion, the Ocean, the light-giving Pole of spirituality, the leader of imams, the blessing of the Community, the sign-post of the people of knowledge, the inheritor of Prophets, the last of those capable of independent legal reasoning, the most unique of the scholars of the Religion, Shaykh al-Islam…
A student of Ibn `Abd al-Da'im, al-Qasim al-Irbili, Ibn `Allan, Ibn Abi `Amr al-Fakhr, Ibn Taymiyya mostly read by himself until he achieved great learning. He taught, authored books, gave formal legal opinions, and generally distinguished himself for his quick wit and photographic memory. Among his most brilliant students were Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, al-Dhahabi, Ibn Kathir, and Yusuf ibn `Abd al-Hadi. His opinions and manner created intense controversy both in his life and after his death, to the point that scholars were divided into those who loved him and those who did not. An illustration of this is the fact that the Shafi`i hadith master al-Mizzi did not call anyone else Shaykh al-Islam in his time besides Ibn Taymiyya; yet the Hanafi scholar `Ala' al-Din al-Bukhari issued a fatwa whereby anyone who called Ibn Taymiyya Shaykh al-Islam commited disbelief.1 In Bayan Zaghl al-`Ilm al-Dhahabi states: "Ibn Taymiyya was considered by his enemies to be a wicked Anti-Christ and disbeliever, while great numbers of the wise and the elite considered him an eminent, brilliant, and scholarly innovator (mubtadi` fadil muhaqqiq bari`)."2
First Incident of Tashbih
His first clash with the scholars occurred in 698 in Damascus when he was temporarily barred from teaching after he issued his Fatwa Hamawiyya. In this epistle he unambiguously attributes literal upward direction to Allah Almighty. He was refuted by his contemporary, the imam and mufti of Aleppo then Damascus Ibn Jahbal al-Kilabi (d. 733), in a lengthy reply which Taj al-Din al-Subki reproduced in full in his Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya al-Kubra. Ibn Taymiyya then returned to his activities until he was summoned by the authorities again in 705 to answer for his `Aqida Wasitiyya. He spent the few following years in and out of jail or defending himself from various "abhorrent charges" according to Ibn Hajar. Because he officially repented, his life was spared, although at one point it was officially announced in Damascus that "Whoever follows the beliefs of Ibn Taymiyya, his life and property are licit for seizure." These events instigated great dissension among the scholars in Damascus and Cairo as detailed in Imam Taqi al-Din al-Husni's Daf` Shubah Man Shabbaha wa Tamarrad wa Nasaba Dhalika ila al-Sayyid al-Jalil al-Imam Ahmad ("Repelling the Sophistries of the Rebel who Likens Allah to Creation, Then Attributes This Doctrine to Imam Ahmad").3
Ibn Taymiyya at various times declared himself a follower of the Shafi`i school – as did many Hanbalis in Damascus – and an Ash`ari.
Ibn Hajar wrote in al-Durar al-Kamina:
An investigation [of his views] was conducted with several scholars [in Cairo] and a written statement was drawn in which he said: "I am Ash`ari." His handwriting is found with what he wrote verbatim, namely: "I believe that the Qur'an is a meaning which exists in Allah's Entity, and that it is an Attribute from the pre-eternal Attributes of His Entity, and that it is uncreated, and that it does not consist in the letter nor the voice, and that His saying: "The Merciful established Himself over the Throne" (20:4) is not taken according to its literal meaning (laysa `ala zahirihi), and I don't know in what consists its meaning, nay only Allah knows it, and one speaks of His 'descent' in the same way as one speaks of His 'establishment.'"
It was written by Ahmad ibn Taymiyya and they witnessed over him that he had repented of his own free will from all that contravened the above. This took place on the 25th of Rabi` al-Awwal 707 and it was witnessed by a huge array of scholars and others.4
The Hanbali scholar Najm al-Din Sulayman ibn `Abd al-Qawi al-Tufi said:5
He used to bring up in one hour from the Book, the Sunna, the Arabic language, and philosophical speculation, material which no-one could bring up even in many sessions, as if these sciences were before his very eyes and he was picking and choosing from them at will. A time came when his companions took to over-praising him and this drove him to be satisfied with himself until he became conceited before his fellow human beings. He became convinced that he was a scholar capable of independent reasoning (mujtahid). Henceforth he began to answer each and every scholar great and small, past and recent, until he went all the way back to `Umar (r) and faulted him in some matter. This reached the ears of the Shaykh Ibrahim al-Raqi who reprimanded him. Ibn Taymiyya went to see him, apologized, and asked for forgiveness. He also spoke against `Ali (r) and said: "He made mistakes in seventeen different matters."… Because of his fanatic support of the Hanbali school he would attack Ash'aris until he started to insult al-Ghazzali, at which point some people opposed him and would almost kill him…. They ascertained that he had blurted out certain words, concerning doctrine, which came out of his mouth in the context of his sermons and legal pronouncements, and they mentioned that he had cited the tradition of Allah's descent (to the nearest heaven), then climbed down two steps from the minbar and said: "Just like this descent of mine" and so was categorized as an anthropomorphist. They also cited his refutation of whoever uses the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — as a means or seeks help from him (aw istaghatha)…. People were divided into parties because of him. Some considered him an anthropomorphist because of what he mentioned in al-`Aqida al-Hamawiyya and al-`Aqida al-Wasitiyya and other books of his, to the effect that the hand, foot, shin, and face are litteral attributes of Allah and that He is established upon the Throne with His Essence. It was said to him that were this the case He would necessarily be subject to spatial confinement (al-tahayyuz) and divisibility (al-inqisam). He replied: "I do not concede that spatial confinement and divisibility are (necessarily) properties of bodies," whereupon it was adduced against him (ulzima) that he held Allah's Essence to be subject to spatial confinement. Others considered him a heretic (zindiq) due to his saying that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — is not to be sought for help and the fact that this amounted to diminishing and impeding the establishing of the greatness of the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — …. Others considered him a dissimulator (munafiq) because of what he said about `Ali:… namely, that he had been forsaken everywhere he went, had repeatedly tried to acquire the caliphate and never attained it, fought out of lust for power rather than religion, and said that "he loved authority while `Uthman loved money." He would say that Abu Bakr had declared Islam in his old age, fully aware of what he said, while `Ali had declared Islam as a boy, and the boy's Islam is not considered sound upon his mere word…. In sum he said ugly things such as these, and it was said against him that he was a hypocrite, in view of the Prophet's — Allah bless and greet him — saying (to `Ali): "None but a hypocrite has hatred for you."6
Another reason why Ibn Taymiyya was opposed was his criticism of Sufis, particularly Shaykh Muhyi al-Din Ibn `Arabi, although he described himself, in his letter to Abu al-Fath Nasr al-Munayji, as a former admirer of the Shaykh al-Akbar:
I was one of those who, previously, used to hold the best opinion of Ibn `Arabi and extol his praise, because of the benefits I saw in his books, such as what he said in many of his books, for example: al-Futuhat, al-Kanh, al-Muhkam al-Marbut, al-Durra al-Fakhira, Matali` al-Nujum, and other such works.7
According to Ibn `Abd al-Hadi, Ibn Taymiyya also declared himself a follower of several Sufi orders, among them the Qadiri path of Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani.8 In al-Mas'ala al-Tabriziyya Ibn Taymiyya declares: "Labistu al-khirqa al-mubaraka li al-Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir wa bayni wa baynahu ithnan – I wore the blessed Sufi cloak of `Abd al-Qadir, there being between him and me two shaykhs."9
Further Heresy
Further charges of heresy were brought against Ibn Taymiyya for his assertion that a divorce pronounced in innovative fashion does not take effect, against the consensus of the scholars which stipulated that it does, though innovative. After spending the years 719-721 in jail, he was jailed again in 726 until his death two years leater for declaring that one who travels to visit the Prophet commits innovation. His burial was attended by about 50,000 people.
His student al-Dhahabi praised him lavishly as "the brilliant shaykh, imam, erudite scholar, censor, jurist, mujtahid, and commentator of the Qur'an," but acknowledged that Ibn Taymiyya's disparaging manners alienated even his admirers. For example, the grammarian Abu Hayyan praised Ibn Taymiyya until he found out that he believed himself a greater expert in the Arabic language than Sibawayh, whereupon he disassociated himself from his previous praise. Other former admirers turned critics were the qadi al-Zamalkani and al-Dhahabi himself, in whose al-Nasiha al-Dhahabiyya he addresses Ibn Taymiyya with the words: "When will you stop criticizing the scholars and finding fault with the people?"
Dr. al-Buti pointed out that although Ibn Taymiyya blamed al-Ghazzali and other Ash`ari scholars for involving themselves in philosophical or dialectical disputations, yet he went much further than most into kalam and philosophy. This is shown by his books in kalam and philosophy, most notably by his positions in al-Radd `ala al-Mantiqiyyin ("Against the Logicians") on the "generic beginninglessness" of created matters and Aristotelian causality (al-`illa al-aristiyya).10 Al-Dhahabi alluded to this in his epistle to Ibn Taymiyya: "When will you stop investigating the poisoned minutiae of philosophical disbelief, so that we have to refute them with our minds? You have swallowed the poisons of the philosophers and their treatises, not once, but several times!"11
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami on Ibn Taymiyya
Al-Haytami wrote in his Fatawa Hadithiyya:
Ibn Taymiyya is a servant which Allah forsook, misguided, blinded, deafened, and debased. That is the declaration of the imams who have exposed the corruption of his positions and the mendacity of his sayings. Whoever wishes to pursue this must read the words of the mujtahid imam Abu al-Hasan (Taqi al-Din) al-Subki, of his son Taj al-Din Subki, of the Imam al-`Izz ibn Jama`a and others of the Shafi`i, Maliki, and Hanafi shaykhs… It must be considered that he is a misguided and misguiding innovator (mubtadi` dall mudill) and an ignorant who brought evil (jahilun ghalun) whom Allah treated with His justice. May He protect us from the likes of his path, doctrine, and actions!… Know that he has differed from people on questions about which Taj al-Din Ibn al-Subki and others warned us. Among the things Ibn Taymiyya said which violate the scholarly consensus are:
- that whoso violates the consensus commits neither disbelief (kufr) nor grave transgression (fisq);
- that our Lord is subject to created events (mahallun li al-hawadith) – glorified, exalted, and sanctified is He far above what the depraved ascribe to Him!
- that He is complex or made of parts (murakkab), His Entity standing in need similarly to the way the whole stands in need of the parts, elevated is He and sanctified above that!
- that the Qur'an is created in Allah's Entity (muhdath fi dhatillah), elevated is He above that!
- that the world is of a pre-eternal nature and exists with Allah since pre-eternity as an "ever-abiding created object" (makhluqan da'iman), thus making it necessarily existent in His Entity (mujaban bi al-dhat) and not acting deliberately[GH1] (la fa`ilan bi al-ikhtyar), elevated is He above that!12
- his suggestions of Allah's corporeality, direction, displacement, (al-jismiyya wa al-jiha wa al-intiqal), and that He fits the size of the Throne, being neither bigger nor smaller, exalted is He from such a hideous invention and wide-open disbelief, and may He forsake all his followers, and may all his beliefs be scattered and lost!
- his saying that the fire shall go out (al-nar tafni),13
- and that Prophets are not sinless (al-anbiya' ghayr ma`sumin),
- and that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — has no special status before Allah (la jaha lahu) and must not be used as a means (la yutawassalu bihi),14
- and that the undertaking of travel (al-safar) to the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — in order to perform his visitation is a sin, for which it is unlawful to shorten the prayers,15 and that it is forbidden to ask for his intercession in view of the Day of Need,
- and that the words (alfaz) of the Torah and the Gospel were not substituted, but their meanings (ma`ani) were.
Some said: "Whoever looks at his books does not attribute to him most of these positions, except that whereby he holds the view that Allah has a direction, and that he authored a book to establish this, and forces the proof upon the people who follow this school of thought that they are believers in Allah's corporeality (jismiyya), dimensionality (muhadhat), and settledness (istiqrar)." That is, it may be that at times he used to assert these proofs and that they were consequently attributed to him in particular. But whoever attributed this to him from among the imams of Islam upon whose greatness, leadership, religion, trustworthiness, fairness, acceptance, insight, and meticulousness there is agreement – then they do not say anything except what has been duly established with added precautions and repeated inquiry. This is especially true when a Muslim is attributed a view which necessitates his disbelief, apostasy, misguidance, and execution. Therefore if it is true of him that he is a disbeliever and an innovator, then Allah will deal with him with His justice, and other than that He will forgive us and him.
Imam al-Kawthari on Ibn Taymiyya
Imam Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari stated in strong terms that Ibn Taymiyya's position on Allah's attributes is tantamount to disbelief and apostasy because it reduces Allah to a corporeal body. He states in his Maqalat:
In al-Ta'sis fi Radd Asas al-Taqdis ("The Laying of the Foundation: A Refutation of al-Razi's "The Foundation of Allah's Sanctification") Ibn Taymiyya says:
Al-`arsh (the throne) in language means al-sarir (elevated seat or couch), so named with respect to what is on top of it, just as the roof is so named with respect to what is under it. Therefore, if the Qur'an attributes a throne to Allah, it is then known that this throne is, with respect to Allah, like the elevated seat is with respect to other than Allah. This makes it necessarily true that He is on top of the throne.
So then the throne is, for Ibn Taymiyya, Allah's seat (maq`ad)- Exalted is He from such a notion!
He also says: "It is well-known that the Book, the Sunna, and the Consensus nowhere say that all bodies (ajsam) are created, and nowhere say that Allah Himself is not a body. None of the imams of the Muslims ever said such a thing. Therefore if I also choose not to say it, it does not expel me from religion nor from Shari`a." These words are complete impudence. What did he do with all the verses declaring Allah to be far removed from anything like unto Him? Does he expect that the idiocy that every single idiot can come up with be addressed with a specific text? Is it not enough that Allah the Exalted said: "There is nothing whatsoever like Him" (42:11)? Or does he consider it permissible for someone to say: Allah eats this, chews that, and tastes the other thing, just because no text mentions the opposite? This is disbelief laid bare and pure anthropomorphism.
In another passage of the same book he says:
You [Ash`aris] say that He is neither a body, nor an atom (jawhar), nor spatially bounded (mutahayyiz), and that He has no direction, and that He cannot be pointed to as an object of sensory perception, and that nothing of Him can be considered distinct from Him. You have asserted this on the grounds that Allah is neither divisible nor made of parts and that He has neither limit (hadd) nor end (ghaya), with your view thereby to forbid one to say that He has any limit or measure (qadr), or that He even has a dimension that is unlimited. But how do you allow yourselves to do this without evidence from the Book and the Sunna?"16
The reader's intelligence suffices to comment on these heretical statements. Can you imagine for an apostate to be more brazen than this, right in the midst of a Muslim society?
In another place of the same book he says: "It is obligatorily known that Allah did not mean by the name of "the One" (al-Wahid) the negation of the Attributes." He is here alluding to all that entails His "coming" to a place and the like. He continues: "Nor did He mean by it the negation that He can be perceived with the senses, nor the denial of limit and dimension and all such interpretations which were innovated by the Jahmiyya and their followers. Negation or denial of the above is not found in the Book nor the Sunna." And this is on an equal footing with what came before with regard to pure anthropomorphism and plain apostasy.
In another book of his, Muwafaqa al-Ma`qul, which is in the margin of his Minhaj, Ibn Taymiyya asserts that things occur newly in relation to Allah and that He has a direction according to two kinds of conjecture.17 And you know, O reader, what the Imams say concerning him who deliberately and intently establishes that Allah has a direction, unless his saying such a thing is a slip of the tongue or a slip of the pen. Then there is his establishing that the concept of movement applies to Allah, along with all the others who establish such a thing; his denial that there is an eternal sojourn in hellfire has filled creation; and his doctrine of "generic beginninglessness" (al-qidam al-naw`i).18
Ibn Taymiyya's Two Tawhids
Also among Ibn Taymiyya's controversies in kalam was his division of tawhid into two types: tawhid al-rububiyya and tawhid al-uluhiyya, respectively, Oneness of Lordship and Oneness of Godhead.19 The first, he said, consisted in the acknowledgment of Allah as the Creator of all, a belief shared by believers and non-believers alike. The second was the affirmation of Allah as the one true deity and only object of worship, a belief exclusive to believers. His natural conclusion was that "whoever does not know tawhid al-uluhiyya, his knowledge of tawhid al-rububiyya is not taken into account because the idolaters also had such knowledge." He then compared the scholars of kalam to the Arab idol-worshippers who accepted tawhid al-rububiyya but ignored tawhid al-uluhiyya. This dialectic was adopted by Ibn Abi al-`Izz in his commentary on al-Tahawi's `Aqida.20
Abu Hamid Ibn Marzuq wrote:
Tawhid al-rububiyya and tawhid al-uluhiyya were invented by Ibn Taymiyya who claimed that all Muslims among the mutakallimun worshipped other than Allah due to their ignorance of tawhid al-uluhiyya; he claimed that the only tawhid they knew was tawhid al-rububiyya. The latter consists in affirming that Allah is the Creator of all things, as, he says, the polytheists conceded. He then declared all Muslims to be unbelievers. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab imitated him in this, and others imitated Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. The late erudite scholar al-Sayyid Ahmad ibn Zayni Dahlan (d. 1304) looked into this matter in a small section of his treatise al-Durar al-Saniyya fi al-Radd `ala al-Wahhabiyya ("The Resplendent Pearls in Refuting the Wahhabis"). So did the savant al-Shaykh Ibrahim al-Samnudi al-Mansuri (d. 1314) who spoke excellently in his book Sa`ada al-Darayn fi al-Radd `ala al-Firqatayn al-Wahhabiyya wa al-Zahiriyya ("The Bliss of the Two Abodes in the Refutation of the Two Sects: Wahhabis and Zahiris"). The late erudite scholar al-Shaykh Salama al-`Azzami (d. 1376) also wrote valuable words about it in his book al-Barahin al-Sati`a fi Radd Ba`d al-Bida` al-Sha'i`a("The Radiant Proofs in Refuting Some Widespread Innovations")…
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal… never said that tawhid consisted in two parts, one being tawhid al-rububiyya and the other tawhid al-uluhiyya. Nor did he ever say that "whoever does not know tawhid al-uluhiyya, his knowledge of tawhid al-rububiyya is not taken into account because the idolaters also had such knowledge."… None of the followers of the Followers … None of the Successors … None of the Companions of the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — ever said that tawhid consisted in two parts, one being tawhid al-rububiyya and the other tawhid al-uluhiyya, nor did any of them ever say that "whoever does not know tawhid al-uluhiyya, his knowledge of tawhid al-rububiyya is not taken into account because the idolaters also had such knowledge."… Nowhere in the extensive Sunna of the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — … is it related that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — ever said or ever taught his Companions that tawhid consists in two parts, one being tawhid al-rububiyya and the other tawhid al-uluhiyya, nor that "whoever does not know tawhid al-uluhiyya, his knowledge of tawhid al-rububiyya is not taken into account because the idolaters also had such knowledge." If mankind and jinn joined together to establish that the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — ever said such a thing, even with an inauthentic chain of transmission, they would not succeed.
The books of the Sunna of the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — overflow with the fact that the call of the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — to the people unto Allah was in order that they witness that there is no God except Allah alone and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and in order that they repudiate idol-worship. One of the most famous illustrations of this is the narration of Mu`adh ibn Jabal when the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — sent him to Yemen and said to him: "Invite them to the testimony that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah…." And it is narrated in five of the six books of authentic traditions, and Ibn Hibban declared it sound, that a beduin Arab reported the sighting of the new moon to the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — and the latter ordered the people to fast without asking this man other than to confirm his testimony of faith. According to this drivel of Ibn Taymiyya, it would have been necessary for the Prophet — Allah bless and greet him — to call all people to the tawhid al-uluhiyya of which they were ignorant – since tawhid al-rububiyya they knew already – and he should have said to Mu`adh: "Invite them to tawhid al-uluhiyya"; and he should have asked the beduin who had sighted the new moon of Ramadan: "Do you know tawhid al-uluhiyya?"
Finally, in His precious Book which falsehood cannot approach whether from the front or from the back, Allah never ordered tawhid al-uluhiyya to His servants, nor did He ever say that "whoever does not know this tawhid, his knowledge of tawhid al-rububiyya is not taken into account."21
Ibn Taymiyya's method in debate was to provide a barrage of quotes and citations in support of his positions. In the process he often mentioned reports or stated positions which, upon closer examination, are dubious either from the viewpoint of transmission or from that of doctrine. For example:
- His report of Ibn Batta's narration whereby Hammad ibn Zayd was asked by a man: "Our Lord descends to the heaven of the earth – does that mean that he removes Himself from one place to another place? (yatahawwalu min makan ila makan?)" Hammad replied: "He Himself is in His place, and He comes near His creation in the way that He likes (huwa fi makanihi yaqrabu min khalqihi kayfa sha')."22
- His report from Ishaq ibn Rahawayh's words to the Emir `Abd Allah ibn Tahir: "He is able to descend without the Throne being vacant of Him" (yaqdiru an yanzila min ghayri an yakhlua al-`arshu minhu).23
- His report from Abu `Umar al-Talmanki's book al-Wusul ila Ma`rifa al-Usul: "Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a are in agreement (muttafiqun) that Allah established Himself in person (bi dhatihi) on the Throne."24 Note that Ibn Taymiyya quotes inaccurately, as al-Dhahabi quotes from the same book the following passage: "The Muslims of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a have reached consensus (ajma`[u]) that Allah is above the heavens in person (bi dhatihi) and is established over His Throne in the mode that He pleases (kayfa sha')."25 Both assertions are of course false as no such consensus exists, and the position of Ahl al-Sunna is that whoever attributes direction to Allah commits apostasy.
- His statements: "Allah's elevation over the throne is literal, and the servant's elevation over the ship is literal" (lillahi ta`ala istiwa'un `ala `arshihi haqiqatan wa li al-`abdi istiwa'un `ala al-fulki haqiqatan).26 "Allah is with us literally, and He is above His throne literally (Allahu ma`ana haqiqatan wa huwa fawqa al-`arshi haqiqatan). . . . Allah is with His creation literally and He is above His Throne literally (Allahu ma`a khalqihi haqiqatan wa huwa fawqa al-`arshi haqiqatan)."27
The above statements corroborate Ibn Hajar's reports whereby he once climbed down the minbar in purported illustration of Allah's descent to the nearest heaven.
The writings and notoriety of Ibn Taymiyya were by and large forgotten until the "Salafi" movement revived them through the publishing efforts of the Wahabi Gulf states from the 1930s to our day.
al-Dhahabi, Tadhkira al-Huffaz 4:1496 #1177.
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya 14:5, 14:42-48.
Ibn Hajar, al-Durar al-Kamina 1:144-160 #409.
al-Haytami, Fatawa Hadithiyya.
al-Kawthari, Maqalat.
1 Cf. Hajji Khalifa, Kashf al-Zunun(1:838).
2 Cited in al-Sakhawi, al-I`lan(p. 78).
3 Published in Cairo at Dar Ihya' al-Kutub al-`Arabiyya, 1931.
4 The names of the scholars who counter-signed Ibn Taymiyya's deposition are listed by al-Kawthari in his notes to Ibn al-Subki's al-Sayf al-Saqil(p. 95-96).
5 In Ibn Hajar's al-Durar al-Kamina(1:153-155).
6 Narrated from `Ali by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, and Ahmad.
7 Ibn Taymiyya, Tawhid al-Rububiyya in Majmu`a al-Fatawa(2:464-465).
8 See George Makdisi, "L'isnad initiatique soufi de Muwaffaq ad-Din ibn Qudama," in Cahiers de l'Herne: Louis Massignon (Paris: Editions de l'Herne, 1970) p. 88-96; "Ibn Taimiya: A Sufi of the Qadiriya Order," in American Journal of Arabic Studies I (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1974) p. 118-129; "The Hanbali School and Sufism," in Boletin de la Asociacion Espanola de Orientalistas 15 (Madrid, 1979) p. 115-126. Based on Ibn `Abd al-Hadi, Bad' al-`Ilqa bi Labs al-Khirqa, ms. al-Hadi, Princeton Library Arabic Collection, fos 154a, 169b, 171b-172a; and Damascus University, copy of original Arabic manuscript, 985H.; also mentioned in al-Talyani, manuscript Chester Beatty 3296 (8) in Dublin, fo 67a.
9 Ms. Damascus, Zahiriyya #1186 H.
10 Cf. al-Buti, al-Salafiyya (p. 164-175). See our translation of Ibn Khafif's `Aqida§41 ("Things do not act of their own nature…") and note.
11 Al-Dhahabi, al-Nasiha al-Dhahabiyya, in the margin of his Bayan Zaghl al-`Ilm wa al-Talab, ed. al-Kawthari (Damascus: Qudsi, 1928-1929); also in Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, Siratuhu wa Akhbaruhu `inda al-Mu'arrikhin,ed. Salah al-Din al-Munajjid (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-`Arabi, 1976) p. 11-14. See n. 1715.
12 This is mentioned about Ibn Taymiyya also by Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (1959 ed. 13:411). This doctrine was refuted by Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-San`ani in his Risala Sharifa fi ma Yata`allaqu bi Kam al-Baqi Min `Umr al-Dunya? (Precious Treatise Concerning the Remaining Age of the World") ed. al-Wasabi al-Mathani. (San`a': Maktaba Dar al-Quds, 1992).
13 This doctrine was refuted by Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-San`ani in his Raf` al-Astar li-Ibtal Adilla al-Qa'ilin bi-Fana al-Nar("Exposing the Nullity of the Proofs of Those Who Claim That the Fire Shall Pass Away"), ed. Albani (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1984).
14 This is explicitly contradicted by the vast majority of scholars, including Ibn Taymiyya's own students Ibn al-Qayyim (cf. al-Nuniyya, section on tawassul) and al-Dhahabi, as well as al-Shawkani and countless others. See the volume on tawassul in Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine.
15 Ibn Hajar says in Fath al-Bari about Ibn Taymiyya's prohibition to travel in order to visit the Prophet: "This is one of the ugliest matters ever reported from Ibn Taymiyya." In his notes on Fath al-Bari(1989 ed. 3:66) the late "Salafi" scholar Bin Baz comments: "This was not an ugly thing but a correct thing for Ibn Taymiyya to say."
16 Ibn Taymiyya, al-Ta'sis (1:101). Compare to Imam Malik's statement: "He is neither ascribed a limit nor likened with anything" (lâ yuhaddad wa lâ yushabbah). Ibn al-`Arabi said after citing it in Ahkam al-Qur'an (4:1740): "This is a pinnacle of tawhîdin which no Muslim preceded Malik."
17 Ibn Taymiyya, Muwafaqa al-Ma`qul on the margins of Minhaj al-Sunna (2:75, 1:264, 2:13, 2:26). The Muwafaqa was republished under the title Dar' Ta`arud al-`Aqli wa al-Naql.
18 Al-Kawthari, Maqalat(p. 350-353).
19 In his Fatawa (1:219, 2:275); Minhaj al-Sunna (2: 62); Risala Ahl al-Suffa(p.34).
20 But by no other commentator of the same text. See the commentaries on the Tahawiyya by Hasan al-Busnawi (d. 1024), al-Maydani, al-Bajuri, al-Saqqaf, and others. Al-Busnawi does follow Ibn Abi al-`Izz in other matters.
21 Ibn Marzuq, Bara'a al-Ash`ariyyin Min `Aqa'id al-Mukhalifin (1:89, 1:94f.) Chapter reprinted in Ibn Marzuq, al-Tawassul bi al-Nabi (s) wa al-Salihin (Istanbul: Hakikat Kitabevi, 1993) p. 25-101. Cf. Shaykh Hasan `Ali al-Saqqaf's al-Tandid bi man `Addada al-Tawhid("Punishment of Him Who Counts Several Tawhîds").
22 Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu`a al-Fatawa (5:376). Narrated with its chain by al-Dhahabi in the Siyar(8:213, chapter of Bishr ibn al-Siriy).
23 Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu`a al-Fatawa (5:376-377). Also narrated by al-Dhahabi with a sound chain according to al-Albani in Mukhtasar al-`Uluw (p. 192 #235). However, al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (al-Asma' wa al-Sifat, ed. Kawthari p. 451-452; al-Asma' wa al-Sifat, Hashidi ed. 2:375-377 #950-953) narrates the reports of Ishaq's encounter with the Emir `Abd Allah ibn Tahir with five chains (three of them sound according to al-Hashidi), none of which mentioning the words "without the Throne being vacant of Him." This apparent interpolation is nevertheless the foundation of Ibn Taymiyya's position in Sharh Hadith al-Nuzul (p. 42-59) that Allah descends in person yet remains above the Throne in person. That position has been characterized by Imam Abu Zahra as a dual assertion of Allah's aboveness and belowness on the part of Ibn Taymiyya (see n. 456 and 711), although strenuously denied by Ibn Taymiyya himself in Minhaj al-Sunna (2:248) and by al-Albani who defends the latter against Abu Zahra's conclusion in his introduction to Mukhtasar al-`Uluw(p. 40-41, 192-193).
24 Ibid. (5:189).
25 Al-Dhahabi, Mukhtasar al-`Uluw(p. 264 #321). Al-Dhahabi criticizes these assertions: see our May 1999 post entitled "Allah is now as He ever was," toward the end.
26 Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu`a al-Fatawa(5:199)
27 Ibid. (5:103).


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Over the years automotive recycling has developed into a big industry. This is because technological developments have given rise to processes which have made it possible to recycle most parts of a car. These days every part such as plastics, glass, different parts, fluids used in a car is recycled.
Most of the fluids used in cars need proper disposal. This is because if they leak into the environment, they can cause serious damage. The reason is that they contain toxic chemicals.
Let us see various fluids that are used in a car and their impact on the environment:
Engine Oil:
Internal combustion engines of automobiles need frequent changes of oil and oil filter. If we consider the number of cars on road, you can imagine the quantity of waste engine oil that is generated. But fortunately, engine oil can be recycled. You can remove used oil from your car and give it away to a recycling center. You can replace used oil with fresh oil.
Antifreeze should not be allowed to escape into the environment. This is because it is toxic and it could mix with underground water. The antifreeze water is sweet to taste and can be consumed by children and animals. This is hazardous for health. The good news is that there are processes to recycle antifreeze.
Anti-transmission fluid (ATF):
If this fluid is released into the environment, it causes severe damage. It seeps into the soil contaminating it. Animals and insects consume it and die. This affects the food cycle and negatively impacts the ecosystem. These pollutants make their way into the water supply also. This adversely affects the life of aquatic creatures. Recyclers collect used ATF so that it does not get leaked into the environment.
Brake Fluid:
Brake fluid contains glycols, solvents, and heavy metals. It is also flammable. Hence, it should be carefully disposed of.
Windshield washer fluid:
This fluid is toxic in nature since it contains methanol, detergent, and water. It should not be mixed with other automotive fluids.
Fluids can easily leak into the environment causing irreparable damage. Hence, we should all make a conscious effort to ensure that this leakage is avoided. Since there are recycling centers to recycle most of these toxic fluids, we should do our bit for disposing of them.
We can collect used fluids in containers and give them away at recycling centers. However, we need to ensure that we collect the different fluids separately. Safe disposal of automotive fluids is a great service to mankind.

subset: commoncrawl


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ROME – Italy's president has accepted the resignation of Premier Enrico Letta after he was sacked by his own party in a back-room mutiny.
President Giorgio Napolitano said he would start consulting political leaders later Friday with an aim of finding a new government that can win parliamentary approval and enact necessary economic and political reforms.
The consultations are expected to last through Saturday. At their conclusion, Napolitano is widely expected to ask the brash, young mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi, to try to form a government.
The 39-year-old Renzi engineered the stunning power play to knock Letta out of the premier's office and move in, accusing Letta of failing to lift Italy out of its economic and political doldrums.


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from www.theregister.co.uk – Scams which attempt to trick users into volunteering personal credentials in return for free pornography have moved over onto social networks.
More than nine out of ten (92 per cent) of such adult phishing scams recorded in January took place on social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo, according to the latest monthly security report from Symantec. Once fraudsters have snaffled personal credentials, surfers are often redirected to sites punting scareware scams rather than smut.
Scareware scams more commonly rely on manipulating search engine results for search terms in the news, such as the death of an athlete practising for the luge event at the winter Olympics. These results are poisoned so that surfers looking for videos of this tragedy (as explained by Sophos here) are instead redirected to anti-virus scan scam portals, which warn of non-existent malware risks in a bid to trick users into buying worthless scamware.
Symantec's research suggests that searches for smut via social networks have been added to this more established black-hat SEO approach as a route to market (marks) for the scareware slingers.
Both the scam (from 2 to 4 per cent) and phishing categories (5 to 10 per cent) doubled as a percentage of all junk mail month-on-month from December 2009 to January 2010. 419-Nigerian spam made up 7 per cent of all spam, a new high.
Symantec's report also showed a high volume of Haiti Earthquake-related spam and phishing in January 2010, as unscrupulous fraudsters once again latched onto human tragedy as a route to personal enrichment. By contrast, the run up to Valentine's Day was accompanied by fewer scam and malware laced emails than in previous years.
Symantec also reported a 25 per cent decrease in the number of phishing attacks last month, primarily due to a decrease in the volume of attacks created using phishing toolkits. This is not necessarily good news, with both Symantec and Ironkey reporting that phishing attacks are becoming more targeted on attacking major brands.


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In South Florida and Palm Beach County, football reigns supreme. From epic Muck Bowl games on the western fringes of the county to the hotbed of highly recruited talent taking their talents to colleges and universities around the country, football is the sport of Palm Beach County. According to MaxPreps.com, a subsidiary of CBS Sports covering high school sports, 22 current NFL players hail from Palm Beach County – when zoomed-out, incorporating a stretch from Vero Beach to Miami, that number jumps to 89. In the center of it all sits Palm Beach County's only FBS school, Florida Atlantic University.
Relatively new to the high-pressure world of college football, with the team's first game happening in 2001 under the tutelage of Howard Schnellenberger, FAU made the leap to the NCAA's FBS in 2005, and moved into its very own on-campus, 29,419-seat stadium in 2011. With so many firsts in the 21st century, one more won't hurt.
Following the tumultuous tenure of Carl Pelini, who resigned in October 2013 amid a scandal including illegal drug use, FAU hired Charlie Partridge (right) to helm the Owls football team. Just the fourth person to hold the position, Partridge coaching career spans nearly two decades, with his most notable stops in Wisconsin from 2008-2012 as associate head coach and defensive line coach under Brett Bielema (now, head coach at Arkansas). While there, the Badgers went to three consecutive Rose Bowls (2010-2012), and boasted one of the most dominant defensive lines in the Big Ten Conference.
Senior Wide Receiver William Dukes – FAU Owls |
As FAU's head coach, Partridge hopes to bring that same hard-nosed, pound the rock/stop the run mentality to the Owls. Hopes are high for this FAU team that started off slow in 2013, but turned it up after the dismissal of Pelini, winning the last four games of the season and finishing with a 6-6 record. Another new patch for the FAU football tapestry will be the Boca Raton Bowl, hosted by the FAU Stadium and the newly-named Howard Schnellenberger Field. The pre-Christmas bowl game will host teams from the Mid-American Conference, Conference USA and American Athletic Conference over the next six years. As a member of Conference USA, FAU has the rare and unique opportunity to host a bowl game in its own stadium this December.
To get an idea of what's to come this season, starting with heavyweights, the Nebraska Cornhuskers on August 30 and the Alabama Crimson Tide on September 6, we caught up with Coach Partridge for a rapid-fire Q&A below:
How are things looking so far with the team headed into season?
"I'm happy with the daily improvement of the entire team. But, I'm especially excited about the entire senior class."
Who has surprised you the most this off-season?
"The offensive line has made some significant strides."
Tell me about your coaching philosophy. What are some of the corner stones that define your system of play?
"We focus on daily improvement and the system of play is determined by the personnel."
How has the development of your system progressed from December to today?
"We have a lot more calls and adjustments compared to the spring."
What's your greatest strength going into the season?
"Experience at quarterback [redshirt junior Jaquez Johnson]."
Aside from winning football games, what do you see the biggest job/goal of a football coach when it comes to student athlete development?
"Teaching the players the value of time management and good decisions."
What has been one of the bigger surprises since stepping onto campus in Boca Raton?
"The incredible growth of FAU's campus over the last decade."
Biggest takeaway so far?
"We have a team with explosive talent that is learning the details of the game."
Photography by Ralph Notaro


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Let the holiday season begin! Thanksgiving ushers in six weeks of busyness as we reunite with family and friends for dinners, parties, and holidays such as Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's Eve. This is a time of gift giving. In addition to daily business and family activities our minds find time to weigh questions such as "What would my children enjoy?" and "When should I order the turkey?" and, of course, "How can I give to all the people I love without going broke?" In the midst of all this holiday activity comes the busy season for nonprofit fundraising. Some organizations and institutions encourage us to give before the year-end to take advantage of tax benefits, while others offer opportunities to remember those who are less fortunate. Still others invite us to imagine new expressions and manifestations of the arts, leadership, education, and science.
If you can take a moment to escape the hustle and bustle of the season you may find a way to combine celebrations, gift giving and support for nonprofits that are important to you and your family. You can put the busyness of the season in perspective by spending the afternoon with your children volunteering at a local hospital, food bank, senior center, or veterans home. When considering what to give, consider underwriting a child's pre-K education by giving to a program that had their funds cut this year. You'll be giving a gift that will make an impact for a lifetime. You can make that gift in honor of a family member. Other ideas include purchasing gloves or socks in bulk to give to people who are homeless in your community. Spend an afternoon making tasty sandwiches and share them with people who are hungry.
Talk with your faith leader, college representative or another trusted person "in-the-know" to find out which out-of-state (or out-of-country!) college students need a home for the holidays and open your home and heart. If your neighbor is in need, consider purchasing a gift card she can use at a local grocery store. This is an ideal time for a gift to the food bank.
Gifts to scholarship funds are easily made on-line and are more important than ever as so many students are losing access to Parents PLUS loans. Give to help those half-way around the world by supporting victims of the typhoon in the Philippines. If you are thinking of purchasing a pet for your child, consider adopting one from your local nonprofit animal rescue or ASPCA. Many nonprofits publish beautiful calendars – consider giving one as a gift. Purchase your Christmas tree from a nonprofit and holiday cards from UNICEF.
Most importantly, sit down as a family and share the gratitude you experience. Then find a way to give in ways that speak to your hearts.
Copyright 2013 – Mel and Pearl Shaw
Mel and Pearl Shaw are the authors of "Prerequisites for Fundraising Success." They position nonprofits for fundraising success. Visit them at www.saadandshaw.com.


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The Dolphins will have a new kicker for the final two weeks of the season.
They announced Friday that Dan Carpenter has been placed on injured reserve with a groin injury and that they have signed former Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding to replace him. Carpenter made 21-of-29 field goals for the Dolphins this season, the third year of a four-year deal he signed with the team in 2010.
It's the second straight year that Carpenter has dealt with a groin injury, although there wasn't a big drop in his production from past years as a result of the injury. His 81.5 percent conversion rate on field goals this season is right on track with his career mark of 81.9 percent and there wasn't a significant difference in his work on kickoffs either.
Kaeding was released by the Chargers earlier this season after suffering a groin injury. He made all seven of his field goal attempts in the three games he played before getting the boot and has made 87 percent of his kicks over the course of his career. He's been shakier in the postseason, but that's not a major concern in Miami this season.


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In 2003, according to the pages of history, Mark Zuckerberg created Facemash by hacking into Harvard's online, private collection of student images. Zuckerberg faced expulsion after being charged with violating students' privacy and copyright, among others things.
Zuckerberg, who was allowed to remain a student, quickly learned that it was much easier to ask users for their private information, rather than take it from them. And thus Facebook was born.
Over the years, Facemash evolved into TheFacebook and then just Facebook. Though it began at Harvard, it eventually expanded to the rest of the Ivy League and then many more universities within the United States and Canada. In 2006, the company opened its doors to anyone within the United States.
The central focus of Facebook has remained relatively static over time: each person provided a profile picture, their friends and relationships, and what stuff they liked. Simple, sure, but over time Facebook quickly learned that its "social graph," as Zuckerberg called it, could be a powerful marketing tool to create profiles of users' interests. Injecting ads directly into the news feed didn't go so well, but over time, Facebook has slyly slid advertising back into the stream, and helped third-party sites show more relevant ads to their users, too.
Now, Facebook is poised to expand that graph even further with the Tuesday launch of Graph Search, a new way for Facebook users to find out more about what their friends like, where they've been, and more.
But Graph Search is not the first update to Facebook and it definitely won't be the last. Some changes to the social network have been major; such as the launch of "Timeline," which essentially made Facebook a digital history of your life. Others have been more subtle. Have any crossed the line? Tell us in the comments below, after you review some of the changes Facebook has made to your digital life.


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The University's performance management process provides specific tools and guidance to supervisors for communicating expectations, setting goals, evaluating employee performance, recognizing accomplishments, communicating developmental needs, and making recommendations for merit pay increases.
Performance reviews are conducted annually (March 1 through February 28). All University employees should be made aware of the expectations for their job performance as well as how they will be evaluated for the coming year. Informal quarterly or mid-year performance reviews are encouraged. The office of human resources is available to assist with any aspect of the process.


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No recipe for this cake. I was tasked with taking the cake to my brother in law's lunch to celebrate his 50th birthday so this was my creation. I will try and remember - it was a while ago in June. I actually hand drew some plans for this cake on some parchment and drew a cross section of it and everything. I gave the plan to Kevin so its such a shame I didn't take a photograph of the plan for this post.
Paul and Elliot asked why I did the plan and I said I just love a touch of whimsy and luckily so did Kevin and Leanne who are going to frame the plan.
The cake is two discs of almond meringue covered with kahlua cream and sandwiched between two layers of chocolate and coffee cake - then the whole cake is covered with a dark chocolate ganache. It took me ages to decide what to make and loads of internet research and I was inspired so many of the Daring Bakers out there. I simply cannot remember which chocolate cake recipe I used in the end. It is truly a one of a kind cake for a special person.


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It is thrilling to maintain a business advantage by keeping up with new practices in the industry.
This blog is full of articles where I have written about the importance of business owners getting involved with social media and with looking for new sales techniques before they are needed. Those things are all important. It is equally important to keep up with new practices in the industry. In order to succeed in business and to remain successful, it is important not to rest on one's laurels but instead to continually look for ways to improve, do better and increase sales/////.
Business owners who work in law, medicine, pharmaceuticals and similar fields constantly pay attention to the latest developments in their fields. These business owners watch what is going on in their industries. They know who the new players are, what the new products are, what new regulations are going to impact their bottom line. This is how every business owner should be. It is important that you take time out on a regular basis and devote time specifically to finding out what is going on in your industry. How much time and how often is up to you. But, at a minimum, you must devote at one hour per month every month.
When researching and studying trends in your industry here are a few ways to get the information you need:
* set up a Google alert to send you regular reports on anything on the web related to your industry
* subscribe to e-newsletters for your industry
* join LinkedIn and Facebook groups related to your industry
These methods will allow you to do reading and research online all at one time that is convenient to you.Some other methods for keeping up with what is going on in your industry include:
* join the local chamber of commerce
* join industry associations
* follow lobbying groups for your industry
These methods will keep you up to date with key players in your industry and with the newest happenings in your area and across the nation.Whatever method you choose, it is important to do research and keep up to date with things that are going on with your industry. In order to be successful, you must look towards the future and not rest on past successes. So, the question for you this thrilling day is, what are you doing to keep up to date with what is going on in your industry?


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AGOURA HILLS, Calif. & NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--THQ (NASDAQ:THQI) and Games Workshop (LSE:GAW.L) today announced a multi-year extension to their successful video game license agreement, extending THQ's current exclusive rights to publish video games based on the popular Warhammer® 40,000® universe through titles across all relevant platforms including core, social and mobile rights.
Since entering the licensing agreement with Games Workshop, THQ has published several highly successful titles based on the intellectual property (IP), including the Warhammer® 40,000®: Dawn of War® real-time-strategy games for PC systems that have shipped 6.5 million units to date. Two fresh interpretations of the Warhammer 40,000 IP are currently in development by THQ: Warhammer® 40,000®: Space MarineTM – a third-person shooter for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC set to release later this year – and Warhammer® 40,000®: Dark MillenniumTM Online, a massively multiplayer online game exploring the deep fiction and myriad races of the IP.
"The complex, futuristic war-torn universe created by Games Workshop equipped THQ's award-winning development teams with the material to create one of the most loved PC franchises – Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War," said Brian Farrell, THQ President and CEO. "Our envisioning of the Warhammer 40,000 universe will continue to grow with top quality games across all platforms, including the upcoming launches of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine and Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online."
"The impressive translation of the Warhammer 40,000 universe from the tabletop to the video game space by THQ certainly highlights the potential of our most successful intellectual property in the right hands," said Mark Wells, Games Workshop CEO. "We know that the depth of the storylines, characters and imagery of the Warhammer 40,000 universe positions the IP to excel across many media platforms - and extending our agreement with THQ will help ensure that Warhammer 40,000 maintains a strong and growing presence in the video game space."
About Games Workshop
Games Workshop Ltd (LSE:GAW.L) is the world's largest tabletop hobby wargames company. Based in Nottingham, UK, it designs, manufactures and distributes its range of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 games, miniature soldiers, novels and model kits through more than 389 of its own Hobby centers, mail order, Internet and independent retail channels in over nine languages through more than 50 countries worldwide. Further details on the company can be obtained at www.games-workshop.com. Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution the foregoing marks' respective logos, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons, units and unit insignia, characters, products, illustrations and images are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2011. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.
About THQ
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com. THQ and the THQ logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as "THQ"), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the Warhammer 40,000 video game license, and are based upon management's current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ's financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2010, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and particularly the discussion of trends and risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Please refer to our Traffic Calming Program Brochure (PDF) for information on how to initiate the process and the principles and guidelines of the Traffic Calming Program. Please email Public Works or call 650-616-7065 if you have additional questions.
Show All Answers
A common belief is that posting a speed limit will influence drivers to drive at that speed. The facts indicate otherwise. Research conducted in many parts of this country over a span of several decades has shown that drivers are influenced more by the appearance of the highway itself and the prevailing traffic conditions than by the posted speed limit. California's Basic Speed Law requires that:
"No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is responsible or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property."
Under California law, the maximum speed limit for any passenger vehicle is now 65 miles per hour (MPH). All other speed limits are called prima facie limits, which "on the face of it" are safe and prudent under normal conditions. Certain prima facie limits are established by law and include the 25 MPH limit in business and residential districts, the 15 MPH limit in alleys, at blind intersections and blind railroad crossings and a part-time 25 MPH limit in school zones when children are going to and from school. These speeds are not always posted but all California motorists are required to know these 10, 20, and 30 mile per hour speed laws.
Intermediate speed limits between 25 and 55 miles per hour may be established by local authorities on the basis of traffic engineering surveys. These surveys include an analysis of roadway conditions, accident records, and the prevailing speed, or 85th percentile, of prudent drivers. If speed limit signs are posted for a lower limit than is considered reasonable, many drivers will simply ignore the signs. At the same time, other drivers will stay within the posted limits. This generally increases the conflicts between faster and slower drivers, reduces the gaps in traffic through which crossings could be made safely and increases the difficulty for pedestrians to judge the speed, of approaching vehicles. Studies have shown that where uniformity of speed is not maintained, accidents generally increase.
The entire City is a C Zone (no floods). No A or B Zones:
If you need a letter for your insurance company, call Administration and Engineering at 650-616-7065.
Traffic signals don't always prevent accidents. They are not always an asset to traffic control. In some instances, total accidents and severe injuries increased after signals were installed. Usually, in such instances, right angle collisions were reduced by the traffic signals, but the total number of collisions, especially the rear-end type, increased.
There are times when the installation of signals results in an increase in the number of pedestrian accidents. Many pedestrians feel secure with a painted crosswalk and a red light between them and an approaching vehicle. The motorist, on the other hand, is not always so quick to recognize these "barriers."
When can a traffic signal be an asset instead of a liability to safety? In order to answer this, traffic engineers have to ask and answer a series of questions:
For additional questions about traffic signals or other traffic-calming measures, please contact Engineering at 650-616-7065.
Basic responsibility for sidewalk repair rests with the adjacent property owner. However, there are some instances-such as when a City tree or utility line caused damage to a sidewalk - that the City would make the repairs. For more information, contact Engineering at 650-616-7065.
For more information on street sweeping, visit the Street Sweeping Schedule page.
An encroachment permit is needed anytime you wish to perform any work or store any item in the public right-of-way. This is the area outside your property that generally includes the sidewalk, curb and gutter, planting strip, driveway cut to your property and the street. An encroachment permit is not only the mechanism by which you gain permission to do work in the right-of-way, but it also assures that your work will be inspected to established standards and, upon acceptance, protects you from potential liability that may otherwise come about by substandard or unauthorized work.
For more information about the encroachment permit and general requirements, visit the Permits page.
If you notice a water main break, please call 650-616-7160 immediately. Do not use the 'Contact Us' or Customer Request Portal.
The City maintains everything up to and including the water meter, therefore, we must have free access. It is illegal to obstruct City access with landscaping, fences, planters, parked vehicles, and the like. It is illegal to enter the City's water meter box for any reason. The property owner must provide a separate shut-off valve between the City meter and the building being serviced. The property owner is responsible for all maintenance within the property.
Bikeways have raised a lot of interest in the past few years. Some cities have built separate off-road bike paths. Many more have painted bike lanes on streets. Others have installed green "Bike Route" signs promoting designated bikeways.
Unfortunately, the cost of both building and maintaining bikeways can be a deterrent. Initial cost can range from a few thousand dollars to paint a lane to a small fortune to build a separate path, including special bridges where needed. The City of San Bruno has established a Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee to tackle some of these issues and has also commenced the development of a Walk n' Bike Plan. For more information, please visit the Community Development Department page.
The posting of generalized warning signs with "SLOW," "CHILDREN AT PLAY," or other similar messages is an often heard neighborhood request. Parental concern for the safety of children in the street near home is often the prompt for these requests, but this widespread public faith in traffic signs is misguided. The times in which such a sign is applicable are infrequent to the point where such signs are ignored by regular drivers. Worse yet, these signs often create a false sense of security for children and parents.
Although some other states have posted such signs widely in residential areas, no factual evidence has been presented to document their success in reducing pedestrian accidents, operating speeds or legal liability. Studies have shown that many types of signs attempting to warn of normal conditions in residential areas have failed to achieve the desired safety benefits. If signs falsely encourage parents and children to believe they have an added degree of protection, a great disservice results.
Because of these serious considerations, California does not recognize, and Federal Standards discourage, use of "Children at Play" signs. Children should be encouraged not to play in the street. Warning signs to the contrary have long been rejected since they are a direct and open suggestion that this behavior is acceptable.
A stop sign is one of our most valuable and effective traffic control devices when used at the right place and under the right conditions. It is intended to help drivers and pedestrians negotiate an intersection by assigning the right-of-way.
Most drivers are reasonable and prudent in following posted traffic regulations; however, when an unreasonable restriction is imposed by placement of an unwarranted stop sign, it may result in flagrant violations. In such cases, the stop sign can create a false sense of security to a pedestrian and an attitude of contempt by a motorist. These two attitudes can and often do conflict with tragic results.
Where stop signs are installed for speed control, there is a high incidence of intentional violation. In those locations where vehicles do stop, the speed reduction is effective only in the immediate vicinity of the stop sign, and frequently speeds are actually higher between intersections. For these reasons, a stop sign should not be used as a speed control device.
Well-developed, nationally recognized guidelines help to indicate when such controls become necessary. These guidelines take into consideration the volume of traffic, sight distance, accident history, and the frequency of other existing stop controls.
You can download the Transportation Permit Application (PDF). Fax the completed form to 650-794-1443.
Sandbags can be obtained from the Fire Department at 555 El Camino Real. For information or availability, please call 650-616-7096.
You may report a streetlight outage by using the Streetlight Reporting Form or by calling our Corporation Yard at 650-616-7160. Please be as specific as possible in the information you provide (e.g., exact location, pole number if available and problem condition-off, on and off, day burner, etc.)
You can use the Reporting Form or call our Corporation Yard at 650-616-7160. For potholes, sidewalks, and road signs, we're interested in precise location and brief description (potholes-size and depth; sidewalks-tripping hazard, size of lift, street tree involvement; road signs-pole down, sign damaged, graffiti, sign turned, etc.).
Please call 650-616-7160 immediately if your sewer is backed up. Do not use the Contact Us forms or San Bruno Responds.
The City's Traffic Engineer is available to consider traffic suggestions by phone at 650-616-7065 or by letter addressed to:City of San BrunoTraffic Engineer567 El Camino RealSan Bruno, CA 94066
Depending upon the nature of your suggestion, it may first need to be reviewed by the Traffic Safety and Parking Committee (TSPC) prior to implementation. This is a standing Committee of citizens appointed by the City Council, that meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Sister City Conference Room at City Hall. Public participation and discussion of traffic issues is encouraged as part of the TSPC meeting. A regular agenda is typically prepared three weeks in advance of the meeting, and only items on the agenda may be considered for action.
For this reason, it is best to forward traffic suggestions directly to the Traffic Engineer as outlined above. Suggestions should include the problem, a recommendation solution and your contact information, including your name, address and telephone number.
Recology San Bruno is the exclusive franchised debris box hauler for San Bruno and you must use them if you are interested in any type of debris box. View the Recology San Bruno website for additional information. If you plan on renting a storage bin, POD, or similar container and temporarily storing it on the street in front of your home while you fill it, you will need an encroachment permit.


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- 2015-08-18
Busy life at Westminster. Cliques and the effect of the arrival of girls in sixth form. [4.09] Stayed in touch with surprisingly few Westminster schoolmates. [6.21] PHAB. How it has changed over the years. His work gave it more stability, health and safety clearance and financial stability. [10.54] PHAB's expansion over the years, and possible reasons for its growth. [13.54] Difference between his school days and time as a teacher. School now seems better able to help pupils who are less academically gifted than the others. School takes part in more outreach and charity work. School facilities much better. The Manoukian Music Centre, Millicent Fawcett Hall [theatre], Weston's [classrooms] and Lawrence Hall [sports centre] were all acquired after his schooldays. [16.20] Difficult to tell if there's been a change in ethos. Still promotes individuality. [18.07] Effects of internet. [19.25] Effects of increased numbers of pupils. [21.28] How his experience of the school has changed now he's a teacher. [23.06] Will miss colleagues and pupils, but not the physical place. [26.12] His future plans. His move to the London Academy of Excellence. Potential to make a difference to social mobility. How he will interpret the role. [31.11] Proud moments as a pupil. [33.22] Proud moments as a teacher. The changed atmosphere in Ashburnham. The house publication The Ash Tree and house concerts and plays. The house has become a community. Has enjoyed his time as a teacher.


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NEW!Tanks Inc. Fuel Tank Sending Unit SW Type 5 Hole Design 240-33 Ohms TAN-SW
Our optional fuel tank senders mount with five mounting screws. They work on fuel tanks from 6 to 24 inches deep by cutting to length using the instructions included. Since fuel tank senders only read resistance to ground they work on all 6-24 volt systems positive or negative ground. They do not have a fuel pickup tube built into them as some original senders may have. Made with a high quality ceramic board rheostat. Our fuel senders are available for the following applications.
Application Listing:
SW - SW gauges - 240-33 Ohms
VDO - VDO gauges - 10-180 Ohms
GME - GM up to 1964 - 0-30 Ohms
GML - GM 1965 and up - 0-90 Ohms
ORG - Early Ford & Mopar - 73-10 Ohms
The first number of the (Ohms) represents empty and the following is for full.


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MANKATO, Minn. (AP) - Everson Griffen broke into the NFL as one of the youngest players in the league, and he can now say that everything came a little too fast for him at the start.
The money, the game, the attention, it was a lot to handle for a 22-year-old who left USC a year early, and it caught up to the Minnesota Vikings defensive end in the winter following his rookie year.
Two arrests in three days for unruly behavior back in Los Angeles branded him as a troublemaker, and many inside and outside the organization wondered if he would give himself a chance to reach the potential that his physical gifts laid out for him.
''Guys that young coming out of college, getting a boatload of money. It just takes maturity,'' Griffen said. ''It took a long time for me to mature and know what I really wanted and that's to become a great football player for the Minnesota Vikings.''
It may seem like just yesterday, but more than three years have passed, and those who have been around Griffen marvel at the steps he's made.
He is married with a young boy at home, has established himself as one of the team's most generous players in the community and is starting the first year of a five-year, $42.5 million contract that guarantees him $20 million, making him one of the pillars of a rebuilding defense.
''He's one of those guys that I think is going to be a success story,'' Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. ''A guy that has made mistakes or made some poor decisions off the field at the time, but I think (he is) not only maturing as a football player, but maturing as a person, you saw that. You sit back there and watch him grow. So we felt very confident to go ahead and invest in that.''
In his first four seasons in the league, Griffen started just one game while playing behind All-Pro Jared Allen. His physical talent has been apparent since early on.
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer even used the 6-foot-3, 273-pound Griffen as a gunner on the punt coverage team and previous defensive coaches played him at both end and tackle while occasionally dropping him back into coverage as a linebacker.
But he had just 5 1/2 sacks last season and didn't make the kind of splash plays that many expected to start seeing from him on a more regular basis.
The Vikings said goodbye to Allen and defensive tackle Kevin Williams, two long-time stalwarts and team leaders, in the offseason, and Spielman decided he'd seen enough from Griffen both on the field and off to make him one of the new faces of the revamped unit.
''Everson for the most part did have some slipups, but we're betting that he has matured and he's shown that maturity and that he will continue to embrace that role,'' Spielman said.
''It seems like even another light switch went on with him when we showed that confidence in him.
''But I also told him that when we go down this road and you receive the type of contract you received, it's not just about what you do on the field. There are a lot of responsibilities that come with it as a team leader and how you're going to represent the organization as well.''
One of the most obvious changes during Vikings training camp this season has been Griffen's emergence as a spokesman for the defense. With Allen and Williams gone, he has eagerly tried to step up and fill the void, speaking with an earnestness and enthusiasm that he wasn't able to do when he was finding his way earlier in his career.
''You've got to embrace it. I've been dreaming of this,'' Griffen said. ''The only thing I can do is hold myself to a high standard and go out there and compete each and every day to become the player I want to become for my team.
''I'm just trying to have a good 2014 season with the Minnesota Vikings and let's win. We're here for one thing and that's winning games, no ifs ands or buts. We're here to win games. That's all we want to do here.''
So far he has made a strong first impression with coach Mike Zimmer and the rest of the new staff brought in to replace Leslie Frazier after last year's 5-10-1 disappointment.
''He's very eager,'' Zimmer said. ''He wants to please. He wants to do good. He's excitable. But obviously I'm spending a lot of time in the defensive meetings, so I get a chance to talk to him quite a bit. But he wants to do things right and he's a good kid and I'm glad we have him.''


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Why MBIA Shares Dropped
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of insurance provider MBIA (NYS: MBI) finished the day down 19%, after Bank of America (NYS: BAC) said it would buy the insurer's bonds in order to block it from separating itself from a unit that insured B of A on mortgage debt.
So what: Bank of America's move comes after MBIA attempted to get bondholders to agree to a change in terms on nearly $900 million in bonds that would keep its insurance unit from forcing the company into bankruptcy. Litigation between the two companies has been brewing since 2009, dealing with broken contracts on toxic mortgage debt. MBIA is also countersuing Bank of America, saying its Countrywide division misrepresented the quality of mortgages that MBIA insured.
Now what: Bank of America offered to pay face value for the bonds valued at a steep discount, and its strategy seems to be to weaken MBIA's liquidity in order to undermine its legal case. Considering today's drop, the liquidity risk, and the legal uncertainty ahead, prospective investors would be wise to sit this one out.
Don't miss the next piece of news on MBIA.
Add MBIA to My Watchlist.
The article Why MBIA Shares Dropped originally appeared on Fool.com.
Jeremy Bowman has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Hackers debut malware loaded USB ruse
Litter bait used as phishing lure
Malware purveyors deliberately left USB sticks loaded with a Trojan in a London car park in a bid to trick users into getting infected.
The attack was designed to propagate Trojan banking software that swiped users' login credentials from compromised machines.
Check Point regional director Nick Lowe mentioned the ruse during a presentation at the Infosec trade show on Tuesday, but declined to go into further details, citing the need for confidentiality to protect an investigation he's involved in.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer of security firm F-Secure, said separately that Trojan code was replacing phishing emails as the preferred method for fraudsters to rip off users' account details.
Banking Trojans are written for profit and sold through Russian language websites and elsewhere for between $2,000 and $5,000. Two of the main groups of Trojan malware authors - Corpse and SE-Code - are based in Russia and "market" the Haxdoor and Apophis strains of banking Trojans. An unknown Russian speaking virus writer group is behind Torpig, another banking Trojan family. Malicious code variants of the Bancos Trojan are sold by an unnamed group in Brazil. ®


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In 2002 Phil Read was granted the status of 'MotoGP Legend' by Dorna. To Yamaha he has carried this distinction for numerous decades and will be forever recognised in Iwata and by Yamaha racing fans across the globe as the very first rider to capture world championship success for the company. Read operated on the international stage in an era when motorcycle racing was making important technological evolution and in a time when true stars were being created on the track.
He made his debut in 1961 and two years later he was impressed by the speed of some new 250cc machines carrying a tuning fork logo. Read approached Yamaha at the '63 Isle of Man TT (then a world championship event) and they partnered at the Suzuka GP that year where the British rider from Luton impressed with third position. Immediately after the race a deal was inked for 1964.
Yamaha had only entered the Grand Prix world championship in 1961, taking their first points in that debut campaign. 1962 was dedicated to development and competition in Japan and in 1963 they gained their maiden triumph thanks to Fumio Ito's 250cc success in Belgium. Read climbed on the 250 RD56 in '64 and the combination gelled instantly, grabbing five wins to lift Yamaha's first title; a true milestone in the firm's racing history and less than ten years since the company's first motorcycle – the 125cc YA-1 – climbed the gradients of Mount Fuji to win the popular ascent contest. Read would defend the crown in 1965 but 1968 would be a defining season with success in both 125 (RA31A) and 250 classes after a fraught tussle with team-mate Bill Ivy on the RD05A quarter-litre two-strokes. 1968 would be the last time that a rider took two world championships in the same year until Freddie Spencer managed the feat in 1985. Read would win again with Yamaha, in 1971 on a 250 TD2, and by hoisting the 500cc World Championship in 1973 become the very first holder of 125, 250 and 500 titles. He will also be the most decorated 250cc rider ever in terms of world championships (tied on four with Max Biaggi) as the category was transformed to Moto2 in 2010.
To find out more about Yamaha's Racing history, you're kindly invited to read through Yamaha's dedicated anniversary website.


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How Japan Plans to Build an Orbital Solar Farm
JAXA wants to make the sci-fi idea of space-based solar power a reality
Imagine looking out over Tokyo Bay from high above and seeing a man-made island in the harbor, 3 kilometers long. A massive net is stretched over the island and studded with 5 billion tiny rectifying antennas, which convert microwave energy into DC electricity. Also on the island is a substation that sends that electricity coursing through a submarine cable to Tokyo, to help keep the factories of the Keihin industrial zone humming and the neon lights of Shibuya shining bright.
But you can't even see the most interesting part. Several giant solar collectors in geosynchronous orbit are beaming microwaves down to the island from 36 000 km above Earth.
It's been the subject of many previous studies and the stuff of sci-fi for decades, but space-based solar power could at last become a reality—and within 25 years, according to a proposal from researchers at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The agency, which leads the world in research on space-based solar power systems, now has a technology road map that suggests a series of ground and orbital demonstrations leading to the development in the 2030s of a 1-gigawatt commercial system—about the same output as a typical nuclear power plant.
It's an ambitious plan, to be sure. But a combination of technical and social factors is giving it currency, especially in Japan. On the technical front, recent advances in wireless power transmission allow moving antennas to coordinate in order to send a precise beam across vast distances. At the same time, heightened public concerns about the climatic effects of greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels are prompting a look at alternatives. Renewable energy technologies to harvest the sun and the wind are constantly improving, but large-scale solar and wind farms occupy huge swaths of land, and they provide only intermittent power. Space-based solar collectors in geosynchronous orbit, on the other hand, could generate power nearly 24 hours a day. Japan has a particular interest in finding a practical clean energy source: The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant prompted an exhaustive and systematic search for alternatives, yet Japan lacks both fossil fuel resources and empty land suitable for renewable power installations.
Soon after we humans invented silicon-based photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity, more than 60 years ago, we realized that space would be the best place to perform that conversion. The concept was first proposed formally in 1968 by the American aerospace engineer Peter Glaser. In a seminal paper, he acknowledged the challenges of constructing, launching, and operating these satellites but argued that improved photovoltaics and easier access to space would soon make them achievable. In the 1970s, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy carried out serious studies on space-based solar power, and over the decades since, various types of solar power satellites (SPSs) have been proposed. No such satellites have been orbited yet because of concerns regarding costs and technical feasibility. The relevant technologies have made great strides in recent years, however. It's time to take another look at space-based solar power.
A commercial SPS capable of producing 1 GW would be a magnificent structure weighing more than 10 000 metric tons and measuring several kilometers across. To complete and operate an electricity system based on such satellites, we would have to demonstrate mastery of six different disciplines: wireless power transmission, space transportation, construction of large structures in orbit, satellite attitude and orbit control, power generation, and power management. Of those six challenges, it's the wireless power transmission that remains the most daunting. So that's where JAXA has focused its research.
Wireless power transmission has been the subject of investigation since Nikola Tesla's experiments at the end of the 19th century. Tesla famously began building a 57-meter tower on New York's Long Island in 1901, hoping to use it to beam power to such targets as moving airships, but his funding was canceled before he could realize his dream.
To send power over distances measured in millimeters or centimeters—for example, to charge an electric toothbrush from its base or an electric vehicle from a roadway—electromagnetic induction works fine. But transmitting power over longer distances can be accomplished efficiently only by converting electricity into either a laser or a microwave beam.
The laser method's main advantages and disadvantages both relate to its short wavelength, which would be around 1 micrometer for this application. Such wavelengths can be transmitted and received by relatively small components: The transmitting optics in space would measure about 1 meter for a 1-GW installation, and the receiving station on the ground would be several hundred meters long. However, the short-wavelength laser would often be blocked by the atmosphere; water molecules in clouds would absorb or scatter the laser beam, as they do sunlight. No one wants a space-based solar power system that works only when the sky is clear.
But microwaves—for example, ones with wavelengths between 5 and 10 centimeters—would have no such problems in transmission. Microwaves also have an efficiency advantage for a space-based solar power system, where power must be converted twice: first from DC power to microwaves aboard the satellite, then from microwaves to DC power on the ground. In lab conditions, researchers have achieved about 80 percent efficiency in that power conversion on both ends. Electronics companies are now striving to achieve such rates in commercially available components, such as in power amplifiers based on gallium nitride semiconductors, which could be used in the microwave transmitters.
In their pursuit of an optimal design for the satellite, JAXA researchers are working on two different concepts. In the more basic one, a huge square panel (measuring 2 km per side) would be covered with photovoltaic elements on its top surface and transmission antennas on its bottom. This panel would be suspended by 10-km-long tether wires from a small bus, which would house the satellite's controls and communication systems.
Using a technique called gravity gradient stabilization, the bus would act as a counterweight to the huge panel. The panel, which would be closer to Earth, would experience more gravitational pull down toward the planet and less centrifugal force away from it, while the bus would be tugged upward by the opposite effects. This balance of forces would keep the satellite in a stable orbit, so it wouldn't need any active attitude-control system, saving millions of dollars in fuel costs.
2014:Demonstration on the ground
2017:1-kW satellite experiment
2021:100-kW satellite experiment
2024:2-MW satellite experiment
2028: 200-MW demonstration power station
2031:1-GW full-scale power station
2037:Commercial space-based solar power industry (one launch per year).
The problem with this basic SPS configuration is its inconstant rate of power generation. Because the photovoltaic panel's orientation is fixed, the amount of sunlight that hits it varies greatly as the geosynchronous satellite and Earth spin.
So JAXA has come up with a more advanced SPS concept that solves the solar collection problem by employing two huge reflective mirrors. These would be positioned so that between the two of them, they would direct light onto two photovoltaic panels 24 hours a day. The two mirrors would be free flying, not tethered to the solar panels or the separate transmission unit, which means that we would have to master a sophisticated kind of formation flying to implement this system. Space agencies have some experience with formation flying, most notably in the docking maneuvers performed at the International Space Station, but coordinating a formation flight involving kilometer-scale structures is a big step from today's docking procedures.
We would also have to make several other breakthroughs before this advanced type of SPS could be built. We'd need very light materials for the mirror structures to allow for the formation flight, as well as extremely high-voltage power transmission cables that could channel the power from the solar panels to the transmission unit with minimal resistive losses. Such technologies would take years to develop, so if one or more nations do embark on a long-term project to exploit space-based solar power, they may employ a two-phase program that begins with the basic model while researchers work on the technologies that will allow for next-generation systems.
To generate the microwaves, researchers have proposed vacuum tubes such as magnetrons, klystrons, or traveling wave tubes, because their power conversion efficiency is reasonably high—typically 70 percent or higher—and they're relatively inexpensive. Semiconductor amplifiers are getting better all the time, however; their efficiencies are going up, and their costs are coming down. Cost is important here because a 1-GW commercial SPS would have to include at least 100 million 10-watt semiconductor amplifiers.
To choose a microwave frequency for transmission, we have to weigh several factors. Low-frequency microwaves penetrate the atmosphere well, but they require very large antennas, which would make construction and maintenance more complicated. Frequencies in the range of 1 to 10 gigahertz offer the best compromise between antenna size and atmospheric attenuation. Within this range, 2.45 and 5.8 GHz are the potential candidates because they are in the bands set aside for industrial, scientific, and medical uses. Of these, 5.8 GHz seems particularly desirable because the transmitting antennas can be smaller.
Making a powerful beam of microwaves is important, of course, but the next step is a lot trickier: aiming the beam precisely so that it travels the 36 000 km to hit the rectifying antennas spot on.
Consider that the microwave transmission system would be composed of a number of antenna panels, each measuring perhaps 5 meters long, that would be covered in tiny antennas: In total, more than 1 billion antennas would likely be installed on a single SPS. Coordinating the microwaves generated by this vast swarm of antennas won't be easy. To produce a single, precisely focused beam, the phases of the microwaves sent from all the antenna panels must be synchronized. That would be hard to manage, as these panels would move relative to each other.
This challenge of precisely directing a beam from a moving source is unique and hasn't been solved by existing communication technologies. The beam must have very little divergence to prevent it from spreading out over too large an area. To send power at the 5.8-GHz frequency to a rectifying antenna, or rectenna, with a diameter of 3 km, the divergence must be limited to 100 microradians and the beam must have a pointing accuracy of 10 µrad.
JAXA's solution involves a pilot signal that would be sent from the rectenna on the ground. As each individual antenna panel on the satellite received the pilot signal, it would calculate the necessary phases for its microwaves and adjust accordingly. The sum of all these adjustments is a tight beam that would zing down through the atmosphere to hit the rectenna. Such phase-adjusting technologies, known as retrodirective systems, have been used in small-scale antenna arrays in space, but additional work would be needed before they could coordinate several kilometers of orbital transmitters.
Once the beam reaches the receiving site, the rest of the process would be relatively easy. Arrays of rectennas would convert the microwave power to DC power with an efficiency greater than 80 percent. Then the DC power would be converted to AC and fed into the electrical grid.
When laypeople hear these orbital solar farms described, they often ask if it would be safe to send a powerful beam of microwaves down to Earth. Wouldn't it cook whatever's in its path, like food in a microwave oven? Some people have a grisly mental image of roasted seagulls dropping from the sky. In fact, the beam wouldn't even be intense enough to heat your coffee. In the center of the beam in a commercial SPS system, the power density would be 1 kilowatt per square meter, which is about equal to the intensity of sunlight. As the regulatory limit for sustained human exposure to microwaves is typically set at 10 watts per square meter, however, the rectenna site would have to be a restricted area, and maintenance workers who enter that zone would have to take simple precautions, such as donning protective clothing. But the land outside the rectenna site would be perfectly safe. At a distance of 2 km from its center, the beam's power density will have already dropped below the regulatory threshold.
In 2008, on a mountaintop on Hawaii's main island, a rectenna received a beam of microwaves sent from the slopes of a volcano on the island of Maui, about 150 km away. That demonstration project, led by former NASA physicist John Mankins and recorded for a show on the Discovery Channel, was modest in its ambitions: Only 20 W of power were generated by the solar panels on Maui and beamed across the ocean. This setup was far from ideal because the microwaves' phases were disturbed during this horizontal transmission through the dense atmosphere. Most of the power was lost in transmission, and less than a microwatt was received on the Big Island. But the experiment did demonstrate the general principle to an admiring public. And it's worth remembering that in a space-based system, the microwaves would pass through dense atmosphere only for the last few kilometers of their journey.
In Japan, we are now planning a series of demonstrations for the next few years. By the end of this year, researchers expect to perform a ground experiment in which a beam of hundreds of watts will be transmitted over about 50 meters. This project, funded by JAXA and Japan Space Systems, will be the world's first demonstration of high-power and long-range microwave transmission with the critical addition of retrodirective beam control. The microwave transmitter consists of four individual panels that can move in relation to one another in order to simulate antenna motion in orbit. Each panel, measuring 0.6 meter by 0.6 meter, contains hundreds of tiny transmitting antennas and receiving antennas to detect the pilot signal, as well as phase controllers and power management systems. Each panel will transmit 400 W, so that the total beam will carry 1.6 kW; in this early-stage experiment, we expect the rectenna to have a power output of 350 W.
Next, JAXA researchers hope to conduct the first microwave power transmission experiment in space, sending several kilowatts from low Earth orbit to the ground. This step, proposed for 2018, should test out the hardware: We hope to demonstrate microwave beam control, evaluate the system's overall efficiency, and verify that the microwave beam doesn't interfere with existing communications infrastructure. We also have some space science to conduct. We want to be sure that the intense microwave beam isn't distorted or absorbed by the plasma of the ionosphere, the upper-atmosphere layer that contains electrically charged particles. We're pretty sure that the beam won't interact with this plasma, but our hypothesis can be confirmed only in the space environment.
If all goes well with these initial ground and space demonstrations, things will really start to get interesting. JAXA's technology road map calls for work to begin on a 100-kW SPS demonstration around 2020. Engineers would verify all the basic technologies required for a commercial space-based solar power system during this stage.
Constructing and orbiting a 2-megawatt and then a 200-MW plant, the next likely steps, would require an international consortium, like the ones that fund the world's giant particle physics experiments. Under such a scenario, a global organization could begin the construction of a 1-GW commercial SPS in the 2030s.
It would be difficult and expensive, but the payoff would be immense, and not just in economic terms. Throughout human history, the introduction of each new energy source—beginning with firewood, and moving on through coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power—has caused a revolution in our way of living. If humanity truly embraces space-based solar power, a ring of satellites in orbit could provide nearly unlimited energy, ending the biggest conflicts over Earth's energy resources. As we place more of the machinery of daily life in space, we'll begin to create a prosperous and peaceful civilization beyond Earth's surface.
This article originally appeared in print as "It's Always Sunny in Space."
About the Author
Sasaki, a professor emeritus at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, spent much of his 41-year JAXA career researching space-based solar power systems. The best-case scenario for this technology, he says, is a global "paradigm shift" in which nations stop competing for energy resources on the ground, and instead work together to build grand orbital power stations that beam clean energy down to Earth. He remains optimistic.


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Advertisement |
Chita Rivera (born January 23, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer best known for her roles in musical theater. She is the first Hispanic woman to receive a Kennedy Center Honors award (December 2002). She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Rivera was born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Katherine, a government clerk, and Pedro Julio Figueroa del Rivero, a clarinetist and saxophonist for the United States Navy Band. Her father was Puerto Rican and her mother was of Scottish and Italian descent. Rivera was seven years old when her mother was widowed and went to work for The Pentagon.
In 1944, Rivera's mother enrolled her in the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet (now the Jones Haywood School of Dance). Later, when she was 15, a teacher from George Balanchine's School of American Ballet visited their studio and Rivera was one of two students picked to audition in New York City; she was accompanied to the audition by Doris Jones, one of the people who ran the Jones-Haywood School. Rivera's audition was successful and she was accepted into the school and given a scholarship.